1931 Packard 833

Packard was founded in 1899 and by 1901, had motorized a horse carriage with a single cylinder engine. The early Packards were met with a lot of success and by 1928, Packard had over 6,000 employees and producing
50,000 cars per year. Packardʼs marketing and customer base were pointed towards high wealth earners and Packardʼs amenities included powerful, straight 8 engines. By 1934, when America was going through The Great Depression, Packard was producing only 7,000 vehicles. When World War II began, Packard, like all automobile manufacturers, ceased producing cars and produced tanks, jeeps and other war material.

The Packards of the early 1930s were technologically improved over their
predecessors. Whether it was a Packard factory body or a coachbuilt
design, the end result was strikingly beautiful. In general the cars were
sleeker, grander and more individually tailored. Each separate component
on the new Packards reflected an amazing amount of detail. The discerning
buyer could even choose from a selection of hood ornaments including the
Deluxe Goddess (doughnut chaser) or Adonis (sliding boy). The new
Packards featured an adjustable driver's seat and sun visors, a map light
and an adjustable steering wheel, an amenity that is still triumphed as a
'new luxury' accessory by car makers today.

This beautiful convertible was brought to the museum in January 2015 and
is owned by a private collector. It has an L-head, straight eight, 319 cubic
inch engine delivering 100 horsepower. It has a four speed manual
transmission.